State Of Washington v. Charles C. Hartzell, IV

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJuly 9, 2019
Docket51211-4
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington v. Charles C. Hartzell, IV (State Of Washington v. Charles C. Hartzell, IV) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Of Washington v. Charles C. Hartzell, IV, (Wash. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

Filed Washington State Court of Appeals Division Two

July 9, 2019

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION II STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 51211-4-II

Respondent,

v.

CHARLES CARROLL HARTZELL IV, UNPUBLISHED OPINION

Appellant.

MELNICK, J. — Charles Hartzell appeals his convictions for attempting to elude a pursuing

police vehicle, hit and run property damage, possession of heroin with intent to deliver, possession

of methamphetamine, and two counts of unlawful possession of a payment instrument.1 Hartzell

alleges that the police conducted unlawful impound and inventory searches and seizures. We

disagree. However, because the prosecutor committed prejudicial misconduct in her cross-

examination of a defense witness, we reverse Hartzell’s conviction for possession of heroin with

intent to distribute.2 We affirm his other convictions and remand to the superior court for further

proceedings.

1 Hartzell raises no issues as to the first two convictions except as they relate to legal financial obligations. 2 This remedy is the relief requested by Hartzell for this violation. 51211-4-II

FACTS

I. INCIDENT

On February 6, 2017, at about 10:00 p.m., Jefferson County Deputy Brian Anderson saw

Hartzell in a vehicle at a gas station. Anderson knew that a valid arrest warrant existed for Hartzell.

When Hartzell drove away from the gas station, Anderson pulled him over, approached, and told

him he was under arrest.

Hartzell immediately accelerated and fled in his vehicle. Anderson returned to his vehicle

and gave chase with his lights and sirens activated. Hartzell exceeded 100 miles per hour.

Eventually, Hartzell lost control of his vehicle and hit a tree on private property. He then exited

his vehicle and fled on foot. Anderson tried to pursue Hartzell, but lost sight of him and called for

back-up.

Police found Hartzell about thirty minutes later and took him to the hospital for injuries he

had sustained in the crash. After the hospital cleared Hartzell, Anderson took him to jail. Anderson

then returned to the scene of the crash.

II. IMPOUND AND INVENTORY SEARCH

While other deputies, including Anderson, searched for Hartzell, Deputy Brian Peterson

secured the crashed vehicle. Hartzell’s collision had knocked the tree out of the ground and left

the car stuck on the roots. Peterson requested a tow of Hartzell’s vehicle, but the tow truck driver

refused to move the car until the tree was “dismantled.” 1 Report of Proceedings (RP) at 53.

Peterson hired a contractor who came at some point after midnight and cut down the tree. A tow

truck driver then towed the vehicle away from the stump and left it nearby so Anderson and

Peterson could perform an inventory search, which they did.

2 51211-4-II

The car was not drivable. Peterson testified that he intended to impound the car because it

was “part of the crime scene” and they couldn’t leave it on private property. 1 RP at 54. Anderson

said they impounded it because “it was involved in a pursuit and it was on somebody’s property,

and it was not drivable to have it removed.” 1 RP at 16. The deputies did not consider any

alternatives to impounding it.

Peterson began filling out an inventory search form as Anderson searched the vehicle.

Anderson entered through the driver’s side door, picked up a backpack from the floor in front of

the passenger seat, and placed it on the driver’s seat. He observed that all the zippers were open.

Anderson “might have kneeled on [the backpack] while conducting his search” and “admitted that

if he had been kneeling on the backpack, this would have manipulated it.” Clerk’s Papers (CP) at

267.

Peterson observed a baggie containing a white crystalline substance in one of the backpack

pouches and drew Anderson’s attention to it. After observing the substance, neither deputy

touched the backpack or baggie. They determined they would need a warrant to continue

searching. They left the backpack on the seat, shut the car door, and had the tow company transport

the car to the impound lot. Their inventory search lasted less than a minute.

The inventory form Peterson filled out listed, “Misc clothes/shoes” and “Pictures” as the

only items. CP at 276. The deputies “admitted under oath that [Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office]

policies with respect to inventory searches were not followed” because they never created a

detailed itemized inventory and Jefferson County policies mandate that the searching officer fill

out the form. CP at 269. The trial court found that, “With regard to any irregularities in the

completion of the inventory record form, it is not realistic to think that in the early morning hours

an officer is going to pick through a car item by item and write it out on the form.” CP at 268.

3 51211-4-II

Once the vehicle arrived at the impound lot, Anderson applied for and received a search

warrant. Anderson searched the vehicle and found in the backpack two baggies containing a total

of more than 40 grams of methamphetamine and one baggie containing heroin. Also in the vehicle,

officers found checkbooks with various people’s names on them and three cell phones.

III. CRIMINAL CHARGES

The State charged Hartzell with one count of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle,

one count of hit and run property damage, one count of driving with a suspended or revoked

license, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture or deliver,

one each for heroin and methamphetamine, and four counts of unlawful possession of payment

instruments.

Hartzell moved to suppress all evidence seized from the backpack. He argued that the

inventory search had been a purely pretextual investigatory search for evidence at the scene of the

crash. The court denied this motion after an evidentiary hearing, concluding that the officers

performed a proper inventory search and the drugs were in plain view.

At trial, Hartzell called Gabrhea Caudill, who had provided him with chemical dependency

treatment. About a month before trial, Caudill had assessed Hartzell for a substance use disorder

and determined that he had severe methamphetamine use disorder, severe opiate use disorder, and

alcohol use disorder.

On cross-examination, the prosecutor asked Caudill, “did Mr. Hartzell break down and cry

like this when you saw him at the jail and did your interview? Or was he just able to sit and answer

your questions?” 4 RP at 760-61. Hartzell objected on relevance grounds and the trial court

overruled the objection. Caudill testified that “[t]here was one point where he did cry while he

was talking about somebody holding a gun to his head at a river in Mexico.” 4 RP at 761.

4 51211-4-II

The prosecutor also asked Caudill whether, in reviewing Hartzell’s criminal history, she

saw “any arrests for drug dealing or drug use.” 4 RP at 767. Hartzell objected and the trial court

sustained the objection. The prosecutor then asked whether Hartzell told Caudill “that he had

arrests, or something about drug use in his history.” 4 RP at 767. The trial court again sustained

an objection and told the prosecutor, “We’re not going there.” 4 RP at 767.

Later in the cross-examination, the prosecutor, referring to Caudill’s report, commented,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Gluck
518 P.2d 703 (Washington Supreme Court, 1974)
State v. Brett
892 P.2d 29 (Washington Supreme Court, 1995)
State v. Miles
436 P.2d 198 (Washington Supreme Court, 1968)
State v. Houser
622 P.2d 1218 (Washington Supreme Court, 1980)
State v. Hill
842 P.2d 996 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1993)
State v. Scott
757 P.2d 492 (Washington Supreme Court, 1988)
State v. Escalona
742 P.2d 190 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 1987)
State v. Thorgerson
258 P.3d 43 (Washington Supreme Court, 2011)
State v. Kirwin
203 P.3d 1044 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Emery
278 P.3d 653 (Washington Supreme Court, 2012)
State v. Scott
213 P.3d 71 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2009)
State Of Washington v. Martha E. Froehlich
391 P.3d 559 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2017)
State of Washington v. Amanda Marie Torres
397 P.3d 900 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2017)
State v. Ramirez
426 P.3d 714 (Washington Supreme Court, 2018)
State v. Lindsay
326 P.3d 125 (Washington Supreme Court, 2014)
State v. Lewis
927 P.2d 235 (Washington Supreme Court, 1996)
State v. Roberts
14 P.3d 713 (Washington Supreme Court, 2000)
State v. Kirwin
165 Wash. 2d 818 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
In re the Personal Restraint of Glasmann
286 P.3d 673 (Washington Supreme Court, 2012)
State v. Tyler
302 P.3d 165 (Washington Supreme Court, 2013)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
State Of Washington v. Charles C. Hartzell, IV, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-washington-v-charles-c-hartzell-iv-washctapp-2019.